Nearly 740 km of metro lines are at present operational in various cities in India and the network span is steadily scheduled to rise to about 900 km by 2022, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Saturday.

       He was speaking after inaugurating the nearly 1-km Najafgarh-Dhansa Bus Stand corridor, an extension of the Grey Line of the Delhi Metro, via a video-conference link.

       "Nearly 740 km or so of metro lines are operational in various cities in India and the network span is "steadily scheduled to rise" to about 900 km by 2022," the minister said.

       Besides, another 1,000 km metro lines are under construction in various cities in the country, so the total span will be close to 2,000 km in the coming years, he said.

       Puri lauded the Delhi Metro for its various accomplishments despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

       With trailblazer transportation system like the metro, the national capital has the potential to become a world-class city like London and New York, he added.

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